Conversations with Grace: Question for Uncle Steve
by Mari217
Summary: While watching Grace for Danny, Uncle Steve is asked a difficult question.


_This one's all me, no beta so mistakes are mine._

**Conversations with Grace - Questions for Uncle Steve**

_**McGarrett Lanai – Noon** _

"We're fine, Danny. _She's_ fine. You realize this is your 165th call since 7 am, right? Go. Present the Task Force information to the Governor New Jersey … welcome him to Hawaii, like Denning requested. Make Denning look good. Hell, bask in some New Jersey-ness at the meeting. Stop worrying about Gracie." Steve rolls his eyes for Grace who is giggling, and holds out the phone. "Tell your dad to stop interrupting our lunch."

"Hi Danno, we're having fun. I'm all done with my homework. Me and Uncle Steve are having lunch then we're going swimming later. Catherine's coming after work and tonight we're having dinner at a restaurant, then we're gonna watch a movie. Good luck at the sem... um… seminar."

"_Behave_ and be _careful!"_ Danny's voice comes at them over the sound of the surf.

"I will, promise."

"I wasn't talking to _you_, Monkey, I was _talking_ to your Uncle Steve."

Grace dissolves into laughter at her Dad's comment. "I love you, Danno."

"Danno loves you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good _bye_ Danno." Steve calls and hits end on his cell. "Gracie, finish your lunch and let's go for a swim."

After cleaning up the lunch dishes, Steve snaps a photo of Grace drawing everyone in their Five-0 family and texts it to Danny. He suggested she draw for a bit, wanting to give her some time before she went swimming, per his partner's '_at least make her_ _wait a half hour after eating before you let my daughter swim in the shark infested water_' rule.

"Look, Uncle Steve, I drew our ohana!" She holds up her masterpiece.

"That's terrific; your dad will love it."

"It's for you!"

"For me? Steve is genuinely touched. "Thank you, Gracie. I'll put it on my desk at work."

"You need more pictures at work. Danno has tons, so I need to catch you up!" She smiles and then carefully prints 'To Uncle Steve, love, Grace' on her drawing.

Steve's phone pings, and he finds a 'thanks – be careful in the water!' text from his normally non-texting partner. When he looks up, he finds Grace regarding him thoughtfully, with such a serious look, he gets concerned.

"Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, Gracie?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Well … I was thinking about something … I wanted to ask you… you don't have to tell me…"

Steve puts his hand out to his adopted niece, gesturing for her to come and sit in the chair he's pulled over to face his own. "Gracie, what is it?"

"Mommy said it's impolite to ask people personal questions, but you're not _people_, you're my _uncle_, so it's okay, right?"

"It's okay." Steve smiles at her.

"Well, your dad's in Heaven, right?" At his nod, she continues "and you thought your mom was, too, but she's not, because I met her at your house. I didn't eavesdrop, I promise, but Danno was talking to you on the phone about it that one time ... we were in the really little apartment back then ... so I kind of heard him. He said your mom, well, she only pretended she died."

She takes a deep breath. "Then I got worried about you. I wanted to ask your Mom about it when I met her … but Danno said not to … but he didn't say I couldn't ask you. Why did she pretend she died and go away, Uncle Steve? Didn't she miss you and Mary?" Grace looks incredulous as the next thought forms in her head. "Didn't she want to be a mom anymore?"

Steve feels his throat constrict at the look of love and concern in the huge brown eyes transfixed on him. Of anything he expected she'd ask; he hadn't expected that. How could he explain to an eleven year old what he still couldn't explain to himself?

Catching Steve's look, Grace hops out of the chair and wraps her arms around his neck "I'm sorry, Uncle Steve, did I make you sad? Please don't be sad."

"Gracie, no. You didn't, not at all. That's just a really hard question and I want to give you an answer I'm sure you'll understand."

"When I heard what Danno said about your mom, I asked him why she did that, but he said it was 'not his story to tell'. He promised that you would be okay and that I shouldn't worry so much about grown up stuff, like you having to leave your house until you were a grown up and came home, or you not having any family here on the island. Danno said _we're _your family. Catherine, me and him, Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono and we take care of each other. That made me feel better, but then I thought how I'd be really, really sad if my mom went away and didn't want to see me and Charlie anymore. But she wouldn't do that. Not on purpose. And Danno, he quit the police force, left New Jersey and moved around the whole world so we can be together." Grace's love and pride in her dad is shining in her eyes. "_Danno_ would _never_ leave me, _ever_." The absolute conviction in Grace's voice washes over Steve like a wave, and he smiles at her.

If Danny ever doubted for a second that his daughter had a handle on the sacrifices he'd made to be with her, he needn't have. Steve could see that Grace Williams knew _exactly_ how much her daddy loved her and that she was absolutely secure in the fact that he would always be there for her, no matter what.

"So, even though I was sad you had no mom, and that you had to move away from your dad, I was more _worried_ about how sad _you'd_ be because she went away on purpose and didn't tell you. Not even after you grew up, because that's just not fair."

The depth of thought Grace had put into what he'd gone through nearly overwhelms him. As does the realization that the child he loves as much as if she were his own, not only returned that love, but was so fiercely protective of her Uncle Steve. "Gracie, you're the best, you know that?" Steve plants a kiss on her forehead. "Let me see if I can explain. My mother had a job, long before Mary and I were born, even before she met my Dad, and it was very dangerous."

"Like when you were a SEAL?"

"Not exactly, but there were very bad people trying to hurt her, even after she quit the job and had a family. She was afraid they would hurt us, me and Mary and even my dad, so she pretended she had been killed and hid so they'd leave us alone."

"But your Dad was a policeman! Uncle Chin said he was a _great_ policeman, really smart and nice, too. He could have put the bad guys in jail so she wouldn't have to do that."

"Well, I guess my mom didn't think so, that's why she went away. Then I found her, and she came back to Hawaii. That's how come she was here and you met her."

"Did you forgive her, Uncle Steve? Because I know she's your mom and all, but I think I'd be mad."

"I'm working on it, Gracie, I'm working on it."

"And you're okay?"

"I promise I'm fine. How could I not be? I have you looking after me."

"Okay. I understand better now, Uncle Steve. Thanks for telling me the truth." He's rewarded for his honesty with a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Gracie. Thanks for worrying about me, but you don't have to, I'm good."

"Of course I have to, silly! We're family. That's what we're _supposed_ to do, make sure each other is okay. Now, I'm going to clean up my markers because I promised Danno I'd help, and we can go swimming. Can you teach me how to tread water like a SEAL?"

"Treading water it is. Go get changed, I'll wait right here."

Grace flies toward the house while Steve watches her, lost in thought. What he'd told the judge at Danny's custody hearing was true. Danny _was_ the kind of father people wished they had. He couldn't help but wonder how many of his sister's troubles wouldn't exist if she'd had the same confidence in their father's love and support that Gracie had in Danny's. His cell interrupts his thoughts. Steve picks it up, seeing 'Danny' in the ID.

"I know this is my five hundredth call but make sure Grace dries her hair before bed. It gets all tangled if she falls asleep on it when it's wet and it'll be impossible to comb…"

"Okay. Hair. Got it."

"Okay? That's it?"

"That's it. Hey, Danny?

"Yeah?"

"You're a great Dad."

Rarely at a loss for words, Danny's silent for a full three seconds. "Wha...? Um, thanks, man."

"Talk to you later, I've gotta teach Gracie how to tread water."

Danny looks at the disconnected cell and chuckles to himself. What was that about? He could only figure his beautiful daughter had done something to make his normally close-to-the-vest, tough as nails partner turn 'Uncle Steve' soft. He shakes his head and pockets the phone, heading back to his meeting with a smile.

###

Thanks for reading


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